Traffic is paralyzed along the Mbarara-Kabale highway following an explosion by a fuel tanker. The tanker rolled down rolled at Kirengere in Kyanamira sub-county, Kabale district and exploded around 11:30 am Thursday morning.
The fuel tanker was destined for Kisoro from Kampala. Mbarara-Kabale highway connects to the Uganda-Rwanda border of Katuna and the Uganda,Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border of Bunagana in Kisoro district.
Our reporter at the scene saw huge flames and smoke followed by heavy sounds of explosion. The incident has paralysed transport along the busy road. Firefighters led by Henry Kisembo, the acting officer in Charge of Kabale police station, and the Kigezi region Field Force Unit Commander were still struggling to put off the fire by the time of filling this story.
Police were also unable to tell whether some people had died or sustained injuries in the fire as the truck driver was nowhere to be seen. In December 2012, a fuel tanker registration number KAW 879W/ZC 401 from Nakuru in Kenya exploded in the same area killing the driver, Paulo Maina.